


i'd give up forever to touch you

by staticmotion



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, First Kiss, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Slow Dancing, Worth It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 13:07:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16598489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staticmotion/pseuds/staticmotion
Summary: In a moment of improvised confidence, he bows deeply to Mark, presenting his hand in invitation. “Mark Lee, may I have this dance?”





	i'd give up forever to touch you

**Author's Note:**

> For maximum enjoyment, listen to the cover of Iris by Kina Grannis while reading!
> 
> After talking about cute first kiss moments with a friend, I felt inspired to write this little ol' thing. Surprisingly, I ended up quite liking it. Thank you, Didi, for suggesting I try out a rare pair for this, it was a lot of fun trying to write something new! And to Markmin nation, wherever you may be...hold on, guys. This ship should and will get more attention. Probably. Hopefully.
> 
> Anyway...enjoy :)

It’s been fifteen minutes since Jaemin left Mark alone to clean punch out of his white jacket, and he is thoroughly lost in the crowd. 

People surround on all sides, jumping and bumping and grinding to EDM that floods Jaemin’s eardrums and sends a quake through his body with each powerful pound of the bass. A frown rests upon his lips as he searches for his best friend, deepening when it’s clear that the other boy’s dapper ensemble is nowhere in sight. Instead, when he spots a familiar clown, Jaemin makes his way towards a small group of people laughing on a set of couches by the hearth.

“Hey Chenle,” he begins with a smile and a wave. “Do you have any idea where Mark is? I had to deal with something and now I can’t find him anywhere.”

“That’s Chennywise to you,” the other boy responds with a small giggle. A whiskered Jisung shoves his shoulder in fond exasperation and answers Jaemin instead.

“Sorry about him, he’s had a lot of sugar and is being an idiot. Mark was with us before, but he said the music was giving him a headache so he wandered off.”

Jaemin’s smile dips a little, and he loosens his tie with a small sigh. “Any idea where he could’ve gone?”

“I think I saw him head towards the front door,” responds Johnny, who is sprawled across the other couch in a tiger suit with his de-costumed head laying on Ten’s lap. The other man, looking elegant as Mona Lisa, strokes careful fingers through Johnny’s hair, making him close his eyes contentedly.

Jaemin watches the display for a second too long, his heart twisting with something like yearning. Then he thanks them, wishes them a good Halloween, and begins the trek through the mass of sweaty teenagers.

He has to gently push past a couple who are mid-makeout in the doorway between the main space and the foyer, but then his path is clear. He takes off his hat and gloves, tucking his toy gun into his waistband as he pushes the front door open.

A relieved sigh leaves Jaemin’s mouth at the familiar light brown hair and blue blazer that greet him. Mark is sat on the stoop, a small pile of empty candy rappers next to him. He looks up with a start when Jaemin sits beside him, but quickly relaxes when recognition hits him. “Hey, stranger. Get that punch out?”

“Despite the time I spent trying, I wasn’t entirely successful,” Jaemin responds with a soft chuckle, displaying the pink stain on his lapel to Mark, who laughs at the sight. Noticing the goosebumps littering Mark’s lower legs, Jaemin quickly drapes his cape over him in a makeshift blanket. 

Mark smiles softly. “Thanks, Minnie.”

“No problem, Hyungie,” Jaemin replies, grinning lopsidedly. “Head feel better now you’re away from the noise?”

“Sort of,” comes the reply, as Mark purses his lips in thought. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, but now the silence feels heavy. Y’know what I mean? I don’t like the loudness, but too much quiet can be kinda oppressive.”

Jaemin nods in agreement, eyes not leaving Mark’s face as he speaks. As Jaemin watches, the other boy’s face morphs from pensive to excited as an idea strikes him. Mark begins to dig through his pockets, pulling his phone out of one and his earbuds out of the other. Without a word, he stands and walks down the steps, tapping away at the phone screen as he goes.

“Mark, what are you doing?” Jaemin asks, amusement and confusion lacing his voice.

Mark turns just as he plugs in the earbuds, one of which he tucks into his ear and the other of which he offers to Jaemin with a sly grin. “Don’t ask questions, just go along with my epiphany.” 

Jaemin complies with a huff of charmed irritation, stepping close to Mark in order for the earbud to be placed securely. He jumps when music begins playing from it, playfully shoving Mark’s shoulder when he laughs at him. After a moment, he recognizes the song as being from the playlist he’d made for Mark just a month or so ago, and he beams.

In a moment of improvised confidence, he bows deeply to Mark, presenting his hand in invitation. “Mark Lee, may I have this dance?”

He can hear Mark snort with laughter, but a warm hand settles gently into his and the feet he can see in front of him step closer. When he comes out of the bow, their noses nearly touch. 

A surprised smile flits across Jaemin’s face when Mark’s other hand comes to rest on his waist. He places his other hand on Mark’s shoulder and without warning begins to lead a waltz to the gentle beat of the song. 

Mark stumbles over his feet a bit, but Jaemin makes up for his error with smooth movements of his own. His cape swishes quietly as they step in sync, and he once again finds himself staring at Mark’s face, transfixed by the way his brow furrows when he’s focusing and the way his lips pout when he makes a mistake and the way his eyes flicker up to meet Jaemin’s with such warmth in them it makes Jaemin’s heart stutter a bit in his chest.

“And all I can taste in this moment,” Jaemin sings softly along with the music, swaying back and forth. “And all I can breathe is your life. And sooner or later it’s over, I just don’t wanna miss you tonight.”

As the chorus kicks in, he spins Mark. They both laugh as he trips through the turn, grinning at one another until Jaemin catches the fumbling Mark and their eyes meet once more. It’s not the same.

Acoustic guitar and soft vocals fade as Jaemin gazes into Mark’s deep brown irises. He doesn’t even realize they’ve stopped dancing until Mark takes a tentative step closer. 

“Jaemin,” Mark says gently, fingers clenched in the jacket at Jaemin’s waist. 

Jaemin swallows audibly, voice cracking as he whispers, “Yeah?”

Mark takes another step closer and cocks his head to the side, smiling that stupid beautiful smile that makes Jaemin want to give him every star in the sky. A thousand years pass in those few moments before Mark opens his mouth and asks, “Can I kiss you?”

Jaemin hardly waits for him to finish before blurting out, “Yes. God, I thought you’d never ask, Mark. Yes.”

And so Mark kisses him. He tastes like sour patch kids and diet coke and it’s a little wetter than Jaemin thought it would be but he can’t find it in himself to care because Mark fucking Lee, his best friend and five-year crush, is actually kissing him. Jaemin thinks back to all the times he imagined this scenario, but none of those fantasies are even half as good as the real thing.

Mark pulls away first, breathing a little fast but smiling bigger than he has all night. He presses a light kiss to each of Jaemin’s cheeks before resting their foreheads together. With a contented sigh, he mutters, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that, Nana.”

Jaemin snorts softly, giving Mark’s hip a light squeeze as he mumbles, “If it’s anywhere near as long as I’ve wanted to do that, I’ll be very surprised.”

Mark laughs quietly and pulls Jaemin closer, their heads still resting against one another as they begin to sway once more. In the windows of the house, eyes peek out and money changes hands, laughter and loud proclamations of “I told you so!” filtering out through the thin wood of the front door. Despite the increase in noise, the two are within their own little world. 

One in blue and one in white, the two boys stay intertwined, dancing slowly in the cold night air to music nobody else can hear.


End file.
